Wagon-body.



YPATENTIBD MAY 14, 1907-. w. HUNT.

WAGON BODY; APPLICATION IILED FEB. 85. 1907 s sums-sum 1'.

-1&3 4 4 3 45 h w. HUNT. WAGON BODY.

APPLIUATION'IILED FEB. 25. 1907.

PATENTED MAY 14, 1907.

3 SHEETE-SHEBT 3- I M1 mm 4 2' mmmm mm.

THE NORRIS PETERS co., WASHINGTON}, u. c.

IlHlH-HHI anuzntoz UNITED STATES PATENT FTCE.

WAGON-BODY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 14, 1907.

Application filed February 25, 1907. Serial No. 359,244.

To all lull/07% 71! may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM HUNT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cottageville, in the county of Lewis and State of Kentucky, have invented new and useful Improvements in VVagomBodies, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to wagon bodies, and consists in the peculiar and advantageous convertible body hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims appended.

In the accompanying drawings, forming,

part of this specification: Figure 1 is a side elevation of the body constituting the present and preferred embodiment of my invention as the same appears with all of its parts in their proper positions. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same. Fig. 3 1s a rear elevation. Fig. 4 is a plan view with the removable end wall H partly broken away to illustrate the gate F below said wall. Fig. 5 is an inverted plan view.

Similar letters and numerals of reference designate'corresponding parts in all of the views of the drawings.

The main frame of my novel wagon body comprises side walls A the lower edges of the forward portions of which are disposed in a plane above that of the lower edges of the rear portions, as indicated by a, and are provided with abutments b designed to bear against a false bolster c as shown, a rear cross-bar d fixedly connected to the side walls A and extending outwardly beyond the same as indicated by e, a front crossbarfextending from one side wall to the other and fixedly connected to the lower edges thereof, intermediate cross-bars g fixed to and extending outwardly beyond the lower edges of the side walls, as indicated by h, and bearing rubber boards 2' between which and the side walls suitable braces j are interposed, an intermediate cross-bar 7c fixedly connected to the rear portions of the raised edges a of the side walls, a front end wall Z which is preferably, though not necessarily, provided with a tool box, a cross-bar m formed of one piece and fixed on said end wall Z and provided with longitudinally disposed keeper loops n, standards 39 fixed to and extending upward and slightly inclined forward from the side walls A, and a front board 9 fixedly connected to and carried by the said standards.

The boards i are denominated rubber boards because the front wheels of the wagon rub against said boards during the making of short turns.

Each of the side walls A of the main frame is provided with vertically disposed sockets 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, arranged 011 its outer side adjacent to its upper edge, and each is also provided at its rear end with a vertically disposed socket 6. Each extended end a of the cross-bar d of the main frame is provided with a keeper 7 and a stop 8, while on the upper side of each of the rubber boards 4. are arranged oppositely disposed keepers 9. Connected to the rear portions of the side walls A in a fixed manner is a crossbar r, Fig. 3, and with this cross-bar are loosely connected links 8 which carry a ate t. This gate is provided on its inner si e with a rock-shaft u to the ends of which hooks o are connected, which hooks o are designed to be engaged with and disengaged from eyes to at the inner ends of crank shafts so journaled in the rear portions of the side walls A of the main frame. Thus it will be seen that when the shafts at are turned in the proper direction to loosen the connection between their eyes and the hooks u, the said hooks u may be disengaged from the eyes after which the gate t may be swung outwardly and downwardly to a position belowthe cross-bar r, for a purpose presently described.

B B are bottom boards which are removably arranged on the cross-bars d and g of the main frame, and have their forward ends disposed under the cross-bar k and their rear ends disposed immediately in front of the links 8 by which they are retained in position. Said bottom boards have cleats y arranged immediately in front of the crossbar d, and cleats 2 arranged immediately in rear of the forward cross-bar g, and when the gate 15 is swung outward and downward as before described, the boards B may be readily removed and replaced with bars such as are ordinarily used in wagons for hauling gravel and the like.

The forward portion of the bottom of the wagon is formed by sections C and D, best shown in Fig. 5. The section D is provided on its under side with cleats 11 and a keeper 12; the outer ends of the cleats 11 being extended as shown so as to rest under and engage the edges or of the side walls A. The section C is provided with cleats 11 to engage the edge a of the other side wall A, and is also provided with bearings 13 in which is arranged and adapted to rock and move portions of the side walls A,

endwise a bolt 14. The section C is further provided with a stop arranged between the bearings 13, as shown. Vith the bolt 14 in the position shown in Fig. 5, the bottom sections C and D are obviously fixed with respect to each other and the main frame since the ends of the said sections C and D rest on the frame cross-bars k and f When, however, the handle of the bolt 14 is swung toward the rear, and the bolt is moved endwise out of engagement with the keeper 12 on the section D, the sections C and I) may be removed from the main frame and in their place may be employed bars such as used in the bottoms of gravel wagons.

F, Fig. 1, is a gate removably arranged. in vertical grooves in the inner sides of the rear at a point in front of the gate t. The said gate F comprises a main section 16, an end section 17 hinged to the main section, a bar 18 fixed to the rear side of the end section 17 and having a bifurcation 19 in its free end which rests in rear of the main section 16, and a shaft 20 j ournaled in the main section 16 and having a crank 21 at its rear end. When the parts are in the position illustrated it will be seen that the crank 21 in conjunction with the bar 18 will preclude flexing of the gate F and removal of the same from between the side Walls A. When, however, the crank 21 is alined with the bifurcation 19 in bar 18, the said bar 18 may be swung rearwardly to flex the gate rearwardly, and the gate may then be removed from the mentioned grooves in the side walls A to permit removal of the bottom boards B in the manner before described.

G G are rear side walls removably arranged on the rear portions of the side walls A. of the main frame and having stakes positioned in the sockets 1, 2 and 3, and also having guideways 31 on the inner sides of their rear portions toreceive a removable end wall H.

The gate F is arranged in front of the gate 25, and the removable end wall H is arranged above the gate F as shown in Fig. 1, in which said wall H is partly broken away.

I I are forward. side Walls removably arranged in front of the sidewalls G and on the side Walls A of the main frame and. having their forward ends beveled to fit the front wall 9 of the main frame, and J J are stakes carried by the forward side walls I and positioned in the sockets 4 and 5 of the main frame.

The parts of my wagon body thus far described form a wagon body of large capacity adapted to carry produce of various kinds as well as manure and the like, and yet it will be apparent that the side walls G and I and the end wall H may be expeditiously and easily removed whenit is desired to convert the body into a hay rack or a body adapted to carry a large quantity of hay.

hen it is desired to use the hod as a hay rack the side walls G and l are removed as is also the end wall If and in place of the same are employed the hay frames 1) and the hay ladder K. The hay frames E are identical in construction, and therefore a detailed description of the one shown in Fig. 1 will suffice to impart a definite understamling of both. The said hay frame comprises an inner longitudinal bar having an arched portion 4-1 adapted to rest above one of the rear wheels of a wagon, an outer longitudinal bar 42 fixedly connected to the bar 10 and having its forward end extended beyond that of the bar 40 so as to take into and be held by one of the loops n of the frame crossed-bar m, intermediate supports 43 fixed to and depmidmg from the bars 41.0 and 42 and designed to rest on the rubber boards i of the main frame and having vertically disposed sockets 4 4- on their outer edges and also having tongues 45 at their lower ends designed to he slid under and held by the keepers 9 on the rubber board 7 stakes 46 removably arranged in the sockets 44, a rear support 47 fixed to and depending from the bars 40 and 4:2 and designed to rest on one extended end. a of the rear cross-bar d of the main frame and between the keeper 7 and the stop 8, and a rock-shaft 50 journaled in a bearing 51 on the bar 40 and having an arm. 52 at its outer end designed to be swung down at the outer edge of the bar 4-2, and an arm 53 at its inner end designed to be swung down at the inner side of the adj aeent side wall A of the main frame with a view of detachably connecting the hay frame to the said side wall A.

M is a cross-bar having loops at its ends arranged to receive the rear ends of the bars 42 of the hay frames E with a view of holding the rear ends of the said frames in proper position relative to the main frame of the body. The said cross-bar M is provided with .for wardly extending tongues 61 which are received in loops 62 on the side walls A of the main frame, and the said cross-bar M is retained on the main frame by stakes N which are removably arranged at the outer or rear side of the cross-bar and in the sockets (3 of the main frame.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that when. it is desired to remove the frames l from the body or rather from the main frame of the body, the same may be accomplished by removing the stakes N and the cross-bar M, rocking the shafts 50 so as to disengage their inner arms from the side walls A of the main frame, and then moving the frames laterally outward to disengage their tongues 45 from the keepers 9, and rearwardly to withdraw the forward ends of their bars 42 from the loops n on the forward emss-bar m of the main frame.

The hay ladder K is provided at the lower ends of its uprights with hooks designed to be engaged with and disengaged from a cross-rod 71 arranged in the forward portion of the main frame; and said ladder is also provided on its uprights with hooks 71 which in one position are adapted to hold the ladder to the forward wall 9 of the main frame and in another position are adapted to permit of the ladder being swung rearwardly away from said wall g to permit of the ready removal of the hooks 70 from the cross-rod 71.

When the hay frames E and the ladder K are removed from the main frame of the body, it is obvious that the side walls G and. I and the end wall H may be readily placed and secured on the said main frame of the body, and again when the walls G, H and I are removed from the body, the hay frames E and the ladder K may be expeditiously and easily positioned on and secured to the main frame to form a hay rack of large capacity.

In addition to the elements enumerated in the foregoing I prefer to provide on the side wall A at the right hand side of the body a brake lever P from which extends rearwardly a rod R designed to be connected with the brake of the wagon in which my novel body is comprised.

It will be gathered from the foregoing that my convertible wagon body is simple and inexpensive in construction; that the body may be expeditiously and easily changed in the manner stated without the employment of skilled labor, and that the body as a whole is strong and durable and well adapted to withstand the rough usage to which the bodies of heavy wagons are ordinarily subjected.

I have entered into a detailed description of the construction and relative arrangement of the parts comprised in the present and preferred embodiment of my invention in order to impart a definite understanding of the said embodiment. I do not desire, however, to be understood as confining myself to the said specific construction and relative arrangement of arts as such changes or modifications may e made in practice as fairly fall within the scope of my invention as claimed.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is:

1. In a wagon body, the combination with support fixed to and arranged below said 1on gitudinal bar, and a tongue carried by said support and arranged toengage a keeper on hay frames against laterally outward movement from the side walls of the main frame.

2. In'a wagon body, the combination with a main frame having longitudinally disposed loops on its forward portion and also having rubber boards and keepers on said boards; of removable hay frames having forward end portions arranged to enter the loops on the forward portion of the main frame and also having tongues arranged to slide into and out of engagement with the keepers on the rubber boards, and means for holding the hay frames against lateral movement away from the main frame.

3. In a wagon body, the combination with a main frame having side walls, a front crossbar having longitudinally disposed loops at its ends, a rear cross-bar provided on its extended portions with stops and keepers, rubber boards fixed to the side walls, and keepers arranged onthe said rubber boards; of removable hay frames respectively comprising a longitudinal bar the forward end of which is adapted to be positioned in one loop on the forward cross-bar, a support fixed to and arranged below said longitudinal bar and carrying a tongue arranged to engage a keeper on one rubber board, and a support arranged below the longitudinal bar and in rear of the first mentioned support and positioned to rest between one stop and one keeper on the rear cross-bar, and means for holding the hay frames against laterally outward movement from the side walls of the main frame. a

4. In a wagon body, the combination with a main frame having longitudinally disposed loops on its forward portion and rubber boards and keepers on said boards and also having a rear cross-bar on the extended end portions of which are stops and keepers; of removable hay frames having forward end portions arranged to enter the loops on the forward portion of the main frame and tongues arranged to slide into and out of engagement with the keepers on the rubber boards and also having rear supports arranged to rest on the extended end portions of the rear cross-bar and between the stops and keepers thereon, and means for holding the hay frames against lateral movement away from the main frame.

5. In a wagon body, the combination with a main frame having longitudinally disposed loops on its forward portion and rubber boards and keepers on said boards and also having a rear cross-bar on the extended end portions of which are stops and keepers; of removable hay frames having forward end portions arranged to enter the loops on the forward portion of the main frame and tongues arranged to slide into and out of engagement with the keepers on the rubber boards and also having rear supports arone rubber board, and means for holding the A ranged to rest on the extended end portions of the rear crossbar and between the stops and keepers thereon, and rock-shafts disposed transversely of and carried by the removable hay frames and having lateral arms at their inner ends arranged to engage the main frame and hold the hay frames thereto.

6. In a wagon body, the combination with a main frame comprising side walls, a for ward cr0ssb arhaving longitudinally disposed loops at its ends, rubber boards provided with keepers, a rear cross-bar having extended end portions on which are stops and keepers, longitudinally disposed loops on the rear portions of theside walls, and vertically disposed sockets at the rear ends of said side walls; of a rear cross-bar having longitudinally disposed loops atits ends and also having forwardly directed tongues arranged to enter the longitudinally disposed loops on the rear portions of the side walls, stakes removably arranged in the vertical sockets at the rear ends of the side walls, and removable hay frames respectively comprising a longitudinal bar the ends of which are adapted to be positioned in loops of the forward and rear cross-bars, a support fixed to and arranged below said longitudinal bar and carrying a tongue arranged to engage the keeper on one rubber board, and a support arranged below the longitudinal bar and in rear of the first mentioned support and positioned to rest between one stop and one keeper on the rear cross-bar; said hay frames being equipped. with means for engaging the side walls of the main frame to hold the hay frames against movement away from the same.

7. In a wagon body, the combination with a main frame comprising side walls the lower edges of the forward portions of which are disposed in a plane above that of the lower edges of the rear portions, a forward end wall, and cross-bars connecting and arranged below the edges of the side walls; of bottom boards removably arranged on the rear crossbars of the main frame, means opposed to the rear ends of said boards for holding the same against displacement, and bottom sections removably arranged at their ends on the forward cross-bars of the main frame; one of said bottom sections having a keeper, and. the other having a bolt movable into and out of engagement with the said keeper for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM HUNT. Witnesses:

J T. Dom H. W. Firon. 

